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UMass releases performance measurement report

Sentinel & Enterprise

Updated:
03/12/2014 11:57:28 AM EDT

BOSTON (AP) -- The University of Massachusetts needs to make better progress forging research partnerships, investing in campus facilities and connecting with alumni and government figures, according to a performance review released Wednesday by the five-campus system's president.

The review, which will be performed annually, uses a four-grade rating system to assess progress in achieving 21 goals across six priority areas, ranging from the experiences of students to the impact of research to financial management.

The report is intended to boost accountability and to identify areas that need improvement.

"Our new report is intended to spur performance by establishing clear goals and priorities -- goals that we believe are important for our university and for the commonwealth," President Robert Caret said.

The assessment is part of the system's duty to inform taxpayers who help to fund UMass, parents who look to UMass for affordable, high-quality education for their children, and government and business, he said.

The report gave the highest grade, "excellent progress," in three areas: admitting high-quality students and improving the academic profile of all five campuses; serving the economic needs of the state; and providing learning opportunities outside of the classroom, including internships and service.

The report did not give the lowest grade, "limited progress," in any category.

To develop the ratings in the report, a group of senior officials from the five campuses and the president's office met nearly two dozen times over seven months and evaluated campus and system data relevant to more than 400 metrics.

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UMass has campuses in Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth and Lowell and a medical school in Worcester with a combined 72,000 students and an annual educational budget of about $1.3 billion.

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